Little Voices: Can a play-based dramatherapy group provide a safe container to help children explore the effects of domestic abuse?

Abstract

This article explores the effects of groupwork with primary school children who have experienced living with domestic abuse. I describe an 8-week dramatherapy programme called Little Voices, which centres around the character of Little-mouse and which uses stories, improvisations, puppets and play to explore his world and the mixture of emotions it engenders. The aim of the group is to help children realise they are not alone and give them a safe place to talk about their experiences. They relate to Little-mouse so they do not disclose personal information and are not retraumatised. Little Voices is underpinned by current attachment and trauma research. I ask if a dramatherapy group can create a safe place to address the trauma of domestic violence. Vignettes of sessions are reflected upon and contextualised within current research theories. Qualitative evaluations were completed by child, parent and teachers and indicate that the groupwork had a positive effect on the children’s ability to interact with parents and peers.